


Thankful For You

by The_Leader_Of_The_Resistance



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Genre: AU Haiji Towa, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27730354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Leader_Of_The_Resistance/pseuds/The_Leader_Of_The_Resistance
Summary: It’s not Thanksgiving if personal issues interfere with family.
Relationships: Towa Haiji/Adult Reader
Kudos: 3





	Thankful For You

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! This story is short and simple. I didn’t have much time to work on it more, but it’s decent. Lol One-shots can’t have a lot, you know.

##  ** Thankful For You **

“Haiji, what do you think? I tried my best!”

With your oven mitts and a bright smile, you presented him the pecan and pumpkin pies you baked all by yourself. They were large pies to satisfy his appetite, which you had to set back on the kitchen island for fear of dropping them.

He inhaled the aroma tickling his nostrils, wearing a dazzling smile. “Perfect, babe! For your first time, they actually look appetizing.”

You playfully smacked his shoulder, making him laugh. “Jerk.”

“Anyway, the turkey should be ready in a couple of hours.” He rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait to eat!”

“Don’t hog all the food.”

“Relax, I’m not that greedy.” Unamused, he crossed his arms. “Not my fault I have a big stomach.”

“Are you sure your stomach isn’t a black hole?” You asked jokingly. 

He cracked a lopsided smirk. Now it was his turn to give you a playful smack on your shoulder. 

Taking the oven mitts from you, he carried the pies to the dining room and set them next to the bowls of biscuits and mashed potatoes. A silver gravy boat sat between them. If it weren’t for you keeping an eye on him, he would have taste tested the food. But you knew how those “tests” went. One taste test and he would be hooked on the food.

“What?” Haiji scowled, disliking the scrutiny. He leaned against the table. “I won’t touch the food. Cross my heart.” He drew an imaginary X over his heart.

“You say that, but I’d hate to see half the food gone when my back’s turned.”

“What can I say?” He said with a shrug. “A guy’s gotta eat.”

“And a guy’s gotta wait to eat.”

You couldn’t help but admire him from the kitchen, fully taking in his charming good looks. Messy black waves of hair cascaded down his lean physique. Lovely lavender eyes possessed powerful waves of emotion. His stubble had you itching for a touch, you could picture your fingertips caressing his prickly face. In your eyes, he was irresistible. Most people often questioned your tastes in men, but you learned to ignore their condescending words. The heart wants what it wants, and it wanted Haiji Towa.

“You’re staring…” Yet Haiji stared back at you, no doubt feeling what you were feeling. He couldn’t peel his eyes off your own beauty. Color powdered his cheeks. “S-Stop it.”

He whirled around, embarrassed that he was captured by your gaze so easily. This was awkward now. Sometimes you forgot Haiji wasn’t always the super romantic type. Romantic gestures still flustered him, he didn’t know what to do. People never gave him a chance because of his emotional ambivalence, how hostile and serious he could be. They concluded he was as kind of an asshole. Now they weren’t completely wrong, but Haiji did have a heart. It was just buried deep inside his rough exterior. It had required effort to get past his harsh character. A lot of effort. Both of you were still putting effort in this relationship. He may be a man that was rough around the edges, but in the end, he was a man you never wanted to let go.

Remembering that you had another task to tackle, you gathered what you needed to make the best cranberry sauce that would make Haiji salivate. 

“Hey,” he said. You looked away from your task and found Haiji standing there, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like an ass just now. This is still new to me, that’s all.”

“It’s new for both of us,” you said, kissing his cheek.

Haiji welcomed you into his embrace, his arms clinging to you in that sexy, possessive way you enjoyed so much. 

“You’re beautiful, _______. Witty, intelligent, a great cook…and so much more,” he mumbled, his voice lowering after every word. “I’d like to have my way with you right now, but I don’t want to ruin that apron of yours.” His finger traced some of the red and white roses and climbed up to your cleavage.

“It’s your apron.”

Haiji laughed. “Exactly. Back to work, babe.”

“You too, my hungry man.”

He prepared to tend to the vegetables to start making a salad until the sound of the doorbell stopped him.

Your ears perked up while you worked. “That must be your mom.”

“I’ll get it!” 

Haiji sprinted during the next ring, putting on his biggest grin. You couldn’t help but chuckle. He adored his mother ever since he was a child. A momma’s boy, without a doubt. He may have denied it a million times every time you pointed it out, but you both knew it was true. They shared the same long black locks and lavender eyes, but his mother’s hair formed elegant waves. 

You stayed behind to clean your hands before following him. The door swung open, and his petite mother’s tender smile greeted you both. She shared the same long black locks and lavender eyes, but her hair formed elegant waves. 

“Hello, my baby boy!”

“Moooooom!” He rolled his eyes, blushing. “Not in front of _______.”

You bit back a laugh, hiding it by casually whistling to yourself. Same old Reika Towa, always capable of embarrassing him. But in an amusing way. He felt like he was fifteen years old again, you mused. Lucky for him, nobody was around to laugh. Except you. 

“Hurry inside. It’s freezing cold.” Haiji brought his mother inside, helping her hang her magenta coat before giving her a big hug. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mom!”

“Happy Thanksgiving to you too.” Reika patted her son’s back. 

The heartwarming hug didn’t last long once his eyes landed on Monaca hiding right behind Reika. His vibrant smile faded, the joy diminishing from his handsome face. The little girl pouted at him, looking adorable in her warm green winter dress. Too bad that wouldn’t be acknowledged at the moment.

“Mom?” Haiji slowly broke the hug. “Why is Monaca here?” 

“Haiji Towa, don’t give me that look,” she said pointedly, keeping her cool despite her son’s rude inquiry. “Behave yourself, young man.”

Both mother and son shared equal disapproval of each other’s behavior. Witnessing the change in the atmosphere, you had a bad feeling this wouldn’t go well.

Reika’s wrinkled scowl deepened. She was seemingly frail, yet she possessed an intimidating presence. “Your sister is family, so she has the right to be here for Thanksgiving.”

Haiji sank to the sofa, his arms deliberately crossed. “And I’m supposed to care, why?”

“Haiji!”

Monaca glared at her big brother. “You big meanie!”

Haiji rolled his eyes and snatched a magazine from his coffee table. “What else is new, kid?”

“Why do you have to be so mean to Monaca?” 

Haiji didn’t respond to her. Reika glanced at you, worried about where this would lead. You tried to not appear nervous as you leaned by the kitchen doorway, watching your boyfriend give the little girl the cold shoulder. Filled with disbelief and disgust, you couldn’t believe he had the gall to behave that way. 

You knew exactly what had happened years ago. Haiji’s father had manipulated him into resenting her, tricking him into believing she wanted to upstage him. At first, it didn’t work during Monaca’s first few years, but at some point, Haiji had developed an inferiority complex that apparently had gotten worse with time. And Monaca became the unfortunate target.

Haiji’s mother, the kindhearted Reika Towa, had given you the details of their past. Haiji used to be a loving brother before their relationship became twisted over the years. It pained you to learn about that. Haiji had become distant, standoffish, and bitter towards Monaca, treating her like she was an annoying brat. A sad tale of two siblings becoming enemies all because of their cruel father. What made the story worse was Haiji had known about the abuse aimed towards him, yet fear prevented him from fighting back. Little did he know, he had allowed his father to turn him against Monaca. 

Exhaling a frustrated sigh, you sauntered to the living room to ease the tension lurking in the air.

“Reika! Monaca! You’re here! The whole family is here! Isn’t this great?” The question was mostly directed to Haiji. You weren’t going to let him ruin this by being an insensitive jerk towards a child. A child that he was supposed to love.

“Yeah. Sure.” 

You snatched his magazine and tossed it back to the table. Haiji didn’t look pleased by that, but you didn’t care. You gave Reika and Monaca your sweetest smile like it was nothing.

“Would you like anything to drink?”

“Anything would be fine,” Reika said as casually as she could. 

“Monaca would like some water, please.”

“Got it.” You ruffled her bob of green hair, catching a glimpse of Haiji’s ire. 

“We’ll be back in a bit. Excuse us. Haiji, can we talk while we finish up some stuff? _Now?_ ” 

Before he dared to protest, you yanked your boyfriend by the arm and dragged him to the kitchen. You weren’t going to take “no” for an answer. He wasn’t getting out of this.

Once you were out of earshot, you smacked his shoulder.

“Hey, what the fuck?” Haiji’s metallic hand rubbed his shoulder.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Me? What the hell is wrong with you for inviting her?!”

“She’s your sister. What was I supposed to say? ‘Monaca isn’t invited because her brother has a grudge against her for no reason?’”

“How is it ‘for no reason?’ She thinks she’s better than me when she’s nothing but a brat who shouldn’t be here with us.”

Oh my god. You weren’t sure what ignited your irritation, the way he was talking about Monaca or how pathetic and stupid he was acting. 

“Your mom told me a different story.”

“Wait!” He screamed, but suddenly stopped for worry that his mother and…that child were listening. He heaved and lowered his voice. “What did my mom tell you?” 

“Not much,” you said with a wince. He looked so angry, but you couldn’t drop the subject. 

“Babe,” he growled.

“Fine! She told me everything about your past. Monaca isn’t what your father told you to believe.”

“I asked you to mind your own business! What happened between me and my family is none of your concern!”

“It’s my business because you’re being ridiculous! What did Monaca ever do to you? And be honest with me. What did she do? She’s just a kid. She doesn’t have anything against you.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Yes, I do. Please, Haiji. Whatever happened to you back then with your father-“

“Look, just drop it!” He snarled, startling you. He was dead serious.

He turned to continue making the salad, pretending you weren’t there. His behavior towards you felt like a stab to the heart. Tears burned in your eyes, you blinked to keep them at bay.

“Haiji, don’t do this,” you sobbed. “I don’t like this side of you...” Your tears flowed across your cheeks. The lump in your throat grew, making it hard to breathe.

Haiji gripped the knife, struggling with his task. He didn’t respond.

What were you going to do? Thanksgiving was going to be a disaster, you just knew it! Yet you predicted this would happen. He tried to deny there was something wrong with the way he acted around Monaca, tried to make it seem like what his mother had said was a bluff. But it wasn’t, and you knew it. What kind of things did his father tell him, you didn’t know. But you could bet that they were nothing but poisonous remarks.

“Big Brother…?” You flinched at Monaca’s voice. There she was, standing there with a confused face over your hurt expression.

Haiji spun to his sister. “Leave.”

“Haiji.” You were so done with his bullshit, you wiped your tears away. “Come here, sweetie,” you said to Monaca, kneeling to give her a warm hug. “What is it?”

“Monaca wants to talk to Big Brother.”

“I’m busy,” he growled. 

“Haiji!” You exclaimed, your pain long gone. “If you don’t stop acting like a prick, we’re cancelling Thanksgiving. I mean it. If you’re going to be like this, tell me now and I’ll leave.”

Now that stunned Haiji out of his childish attitude. He wasn’t just hurting Monaca, he was hurting you too, and that wasn’t fair for either of you.

“Why do you hate Monaca?” The little girl screamed unexpectedly, you nearly lost your balance. 

Reika rushed to the kitchen. “What’s going on?!”

Much to your surprise, Monaca squirmed out of your embrace and stomped towards her brother, who hesitated to look away.

“You! Used! To! Be! Nice! But! You! Turned! Into! A big meanie!” She burst into tears. “Did Monaca do something wrong?! What did Monaca do to you, Big Brother?!”

No answer from Haiji. He was frozen with shock after her outburst. You balled your hands into fists. “Haiji. Talk to her. She needs to know what’s going on in that head of yours. You love her…At least, I hope you still do…deep down.”

Reika patted your shoulder. “I know he still does...I refuse to believe my son has lost the love he has for his sister.”

Haiji still didn’t answer, too conflicted about everything. Monaca’s tearful glare didn’t falter. Without anything else to say, she tried to dry her tears, but they kept falling.

“I just want my big brother back...! Big Brother and I used to be close...but I guess he doesn’t love me anymore...”

Monaca wiped her tears again. She didn’t bother to fight them anymore. Now that she was emotionally drained, she turned away in defeat. Reika was just about to pick her up until a voice surprised everyone.

“Monaca.” The anger from Haiji’s eyes subsided, his expression unreadable. “Listen...I know I haven’t been the best brother in the past few years…”

“Then...why won’t you stop being mean?”

You could ask him the same thing, but in truth, the answer was complicated. “That’s...something that he has to figure out for himself. Right, Haiji?”

The two of you exchanged tense glances. Haiji averted his gaze, uncertain how he should feel.

“You know what I’ve always been thankful for? Before you turned on me?” Monaca sniffled. “I’ve been thankful for having a brother like you.”

You could have sworn you saw a vibrant glint in Haiji’s eyes. It was unclear if it was out of surprise, rage, or something else entirely. From the bottom of your heart, you hoped Monaca’s words got through to him when yours couldn’t.

“I hope I get to see you as the big brother I remember. I tried to hate you, but no matter how hard I try...I still love you...Big Brother.”

Still speechless, Haiji watched as Monaca left the kitchen with a disappointed Reika. Compassion swelled in your heart. 

“...We better finish making dinner.” 

You returned to work, bringing the bowl of cranberries closer. Without giving Haiji a single sideways glance, you sighed.

“It’s up to you if you want to keep going on this path, Haiji. You can either let past memories overtake you, or you can remember the kind of person you used to be towards Monaca.”

“Babe...”

“I said what I wanted to say. The rest is up to you.”

Thanksgiving dinner was served later in the evening. Neither you or Haiji brought up what had happened. There was no point. It was his choice whether or not he would change or not. You were done discussing this.

You cut the turkey into even pieces for everyone, with Haiji’s share being a little bigger. His hands grazed yours when he accepted his plate. Reika shook her head, giving you an awkward look.

Monaca didn’t look at her brother, who sat next to her. As everyone took their first bites of the food, you decided to make conversation. Anything was better than eating in silence. It was Thanksgiving.

“So, Haiji and I cooked together. How did the turkey turn out?”

“It’s wonderful, dear!” Reika nibbled on her forkful of turkey.

Despite the conflict from earlier, Haiji’s appetite didn’t fade. You tried to smile at him, but it trembled after several seconds. He seemed to have caught on, giving you a hint of sympathy. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, reaching across the table for your hand. Then he willed himself to look at Monaca, who was too busy gobbling up her mashed potatoes like any other little girl would. With every drop of her adorable gusto.

You gestured with your eyes, your last shot at convincing him. But he didn’t notice. In fact, he was preoccupied with Monaca’s messy face.

And then something special happened. He grabbed a napkin from the table and carefully wiped the bit of mashed potatoes from Monaca’s little chin. She didn’t know what to think of this. Reika glanced at you, but you only cast her a smile.

“You had something on your lip.” Haiji had difficulty saying that, but at least he didn’t feel like he was obligated to do it. 

“Oh. Ummm, thank you.” 

“Yeah...Hey, Monaca?”

Monaca’s big emerald eyes watched his violet eyes with wary curiosity. “Yes...Big Brother?” 

“You never stopped caring, didn’t you? Then...I guess I’m not too late to fix things.”

Oh, you wanted to cheer as he said those words, you gripped your hand tight. There was hope for them, hope for Haiji to realize how much Monaca still meant to him. And you vowed to help him recover from his insecurities that were forced into him.

Monaca’s little arms wrapped around her brother. “Does this mean I’ll get my big brother back? The same one who always treated me like a little princess?”

“It’ll take time, but...I got someone who can get me back on track.” His thumb stroked your knuckles while he cuddled Monaca. Now that meant the world to you. So you did play a part, after all. 

The story was far from resolved, but Haiji was determined to try. For Monaca, for his mother, and most importantly, for you. Now that was something you were thankful for.


End file.
